Perspectives July 28, 2022

In remembrance of John Haymaker (1967 – 2022)

The passing of John Haymaker has been felt extensively throughout our firm. John touched so many lives—his colleagues, his students, his academic partners, his industry collaborators, and everyday people in the communities we serve. As our friend, he listened, he cared, and he made us smile. As a researcher, he authored and co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed papers which have been cited well over 3,000 times. As our Director of Research, he took our practice to the next level, keeping us endlessly curious and consistently cutting-edge. Indeed, John saw the challenges facing our profession—but he constantly pushed us to discover new knowledge to design a better world. He thought about design in ways no one else could.

As we honor John’s life, here are a few key contributions he made to our firm and our profession, the value of which are immeasurable.

Published Research

Integrating expertise and parametric analysis for a data-driven decision-making practice

Published in 2020 in the International Journal of Architectural Computing, the study explores the specification of geometric and material properties pertaining to daylight quality and energy consumption and how they might benefit from parametric data analysis.

Published Research

A new approach to performance-based building design exploration using linear inverse modeling

Rising from the lack of a systemic framework for designers to make energy-oriented decisions in the early stages of design, this Journal of Building Performance Simulation-2018 published study proposes using linear inverse modeling to reach feasible solutions and offer more confidence.

Published Research

Design Space Construction: A Framework to Support Collaborative, Parametric Decision Making

The goal of this paper is to offer design teams a framework to maximize social, environmental, and economic value in their projects. It was published in the Journal of Information Technology in Construction in 2018.

Published Research

Parametric framework for a feasibility study of zero-energy residential buildings for the design stage

This article offers a symmetrical framework to study the feasibility of achieving a zero-energy building. It was published in the Journal of Building Engineering in 2021.

Published Research

Parametric Analysis versus Intuition - Assessment of the effectiveness of design expertise

Published in the joint 2019 SiGraDi-eCAADe conference, this paper employs professional case studies on design solutions produced by teams of experts versus those from systematic parametric analysis. The results showed consistent performance improvement after systemic optimization.

Published Research

Constructing Design Spaces: Case Studies in Parametric Building Performance Analysis at Perkins+Will

Published in a 2018 Perkins&Will Research Journal, this article discusses three case studies that have undertaken Design Space Construction for performance-driven building design.

Grant

AIA College of Fellows 2015-2017 Latrobe Research Prize for the Dry Resilience Initiative

A grant-funded collaboration with the Arid Lands Institute out of Los Angeles, this initiative developed a water analysis tool to accelerate smart planning, design, and development for arid cities around the globe. The tool lives on, valued for its ability to advise on resilient water policies.

Grant

American Society of Interior Designers Grant for “Stand Up to Work”

Evaluating behavioral changes in workers who receive adjustable workstations in their office, grant-funded Stand Up to Work explored the impacts of standing desks, which have since been widely adopted.

Grant

University of California San Francisco Grant for the School of Medicine’s Mission Hall Workplace Research Study

This grant-funded study examined alternative strategies in academic workplaces based on individuals’ surveyed satisfaction, well-being, work effectiveness, and engagement. The study results helped define the brief for a subsequent renovation project, completed in 2019.

We thank John for broadening our minds, and we will miss him dearly.

Our hearts go out to the Haymaker family.

May he rest in peace.